Wisconsin 45, New Mexico 14 No. 6-ranked Badgers pull away from Lobos after another ugly start.
WISCONSIN 45, NEW MEXICO 14 UW eventually pulls away after another sluggish start
MADISON - Signs pointing to No. 6 Wisconsin suffering a humiliating upset were everywhere early.
UW’s defense opened the game by allowing New Mexico to drive 87 yards for a touchdown.
UW’s offense settled for a field goal on its first series despite reaching the New Mexico 8.
Jonathan Taylor, who lost a fumble in the opener, lost a fumble on his 11th carry Saturday against the Lobos.
Quarterback Alex Hornibrook threw an interception in UW territory – after getting hit while he was releasing the ball.
UW didn’t take its first lead until 2 minutes 20 seconds remaining in the first half.
Safety Scott Nelson turned the momentum in UW’s favor with an interception at the Badgers’ 2 after Horni- brook’s turnover; Taylor protected the ball well enough to blow past the 200yard mark; and UW’s defense frustrated third-string quarterback Sheriron Jones, who replaced injured starter Tevaka Tuioti in the second quarter.
UW pulled away for a 45-14 victory in front of a crowd of 77,003 Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
“I was certainly proud of the way the day finished,” UW coach Paul Chryst
said, “and what’s fun about the game is you’ve got to play it, and you’ve got to earn everything.
“We’ve certainly got a lot of work to do. I think there’s some good things that we can continue to find, that we’ll continue to build on, and then we’ve got to eliminate some of those things that got us in trouble.”
Chryst’s observation that the Badgers, despite having a pair of 31-point victories against lesser competition, still have much work to do before the opening of Big Ten play in two weeks was on the mark.
Taylor finished with 253 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries. He carried 22 times for 203 yards and all three of his scores after his lost fumble. Yet two lost fumbles in two games stirred memories of 2017, when Taylor’s fumble rate increased in the second half of the season.
Hornibrook wasn’t asked to air out his left arm often but finished 8 of 11 for 148 yards, with one touchdown and one interception
A.J. Taylor led UW’s receiving corps for the second consecutive week. The junior caught five passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. He had third-down catches of 28, 21 and 10 yards, with the third a touchdown that helped UW take a 17-7 lead in the third quarter.
UW finished with 417 rushing yards and 568 total yards.
Yet the two turnovers and a missed third-down pass from Hornibrook to A.J. Taylor on third and 6 from the New Mexico 8 on UW’s first series were mistakes that could prove costly against a better opponent.
“I’m anxious to see that one,” Chryst said of the throw to A.J Taylor. “I thought we certainly had an opportunity . ... And those add up. Touchdowns instead of field goals are big.”
New Mexico (1-1) looked sharp on offense behind Tuioti, who completed 5 of 6 passes for 55 yards on a 17-play, 87yard touchdown drive to open the game.
Jones wasn’t nearly as effective and UW’s defense took advantage.
After rolling up 87 yards on their first possession, the Lobos were held to a total of 124 yards on their final 37 plays.
They added one touchdown in the final quarter, after UW had pushed its lead to 31-7.
UW’s defenders took away the option after the first series and Jones struggled. He had missed most of camp because of a hamstring injury and was used because No. 2 quarterback Coltin Gerhart was injured during the week. Jones completed 9 of 16 passes for 79 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.
“I really felt offensively that we had a great rhythm early in the game,” New Mexico coach Bob Davie said. “I thought honestly schematically there were some things that we could do. When our quarterback went out ... we didn’t get much done after that.”
Nelson’s interception, with UW clinging to a 10-7 lead, came three plays after Hornibrook’s interception, and turned the game around.
Jonathan Taylor rushed three times for 65 yards on the drive, which Hornibrook capped with the 10-yard strike to A.J. Taylor.
“I don’t think anyone is surprised at what he is doing,” senior linebacker T.J. Edwards said of Nelson. “It’s always huge when we can set up the offense or flip the field.”